With the exception of a new pair sold from this website some years ago, this pair is arguably the finest example of this classic alligator shoe that I have ever presented and one of the most elegant and certainly among the most luxurious of all Alligator shoes.

The experienced collector will immediately recognize the sculpted form of shoe and sole as of the finest manufacture. The soles are formed around a steel shank and the narrow waist and dramatic angular flaring of the sole remind one of pre-war bootmaking. The generous rounded and chiseled toe are closer perhaps to bespoke John Lobbs before the divorce but finally they are Florsheim’s own. Needless to say the Alligator skins are of the finest quality, taken from unblemished farm raised animals (animals in the wild typically have too much damage and scaring from their more difficult existence), perfectly matched between shoes, artfully chosen to adorn the plain front and thrust of the chisel-toe. All edges are finished with ultra-fine piping. This is in another category from the deluge of off-shoe alligator shoes and cannot be duplicated in its authenticity and historical significance. It is perhaps the last example remaining anywhere in this near new condition. A comparable shoe, made to this standard by a top bespoke shoemaker, would exceed $10,000.

Size Details:

(10.5D US) (9.5E UK), European 44D, for the mid-width foot.

Shoe Condition:

Overall condition: Extra Fine. Near New; 95% of its life ahead of it
Uppers: Excellent, almost no visible creasing, as if never worn. The skins and linings supple as new.
Interior: Fine with the no detectable wear to inner-sole.
Bottoms: Soles: first trivial wear. Heel: no actual wear or rolling of the replaceable rubber inset.